Skate



Sept. 21, 1937. E K T 2,093,915

SKATE Filed Jan. 27, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. [JW44'Q7 klevaz'ad TTORNEY.

Sept. 21, 1937.

E. KLEVSTAD SKATE Filed Jan. 27, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

(Sad

Patented Sept. 21, 1937 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE 10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in skates, and refers to the type of skates described in my United States Patent No. 1,789,182 issued on January 13th, 1931, wherein a one-piece blade is mounted beneath heel and toe plates, and wherein the former is movable relative to the latter.

In my patent above referred to a spring was mounted both upon the toe plate and the shoe thereon tending to move the heel plate and that portion of the shoe thereon downward towards the blade. While this movement is very desirable 1 find that the operation of the spring, and the consequent downward movement of the rear portion of the shoe and the heel plate, is impeded by ice and snow packing between the spring and the shoe. Further, in that invention the guide projecting downward from the heel was either free to travel upon the upwardly projecting slide extending from the blade checked only during its upward travel by the spring aforementioned, and accelerated in its downward movement by the said spring; or else the guide and slide could be held rigid by the insertion of a pin through both these parts thereby holding the heel plate solid with the blade in the conventional manner.

The present invention aims to provide a skate of the type referred to wherein the spring is housed within the sole of the shoe thereby protecting it from ice and snow.

Another object of the invention is to provide a skate wherein a resilient member is housed M at least partly within the heel'of the shoe to cushion the downward movement of the heel plate and act against the spring housed within the shoe sole; and wherein adjusting means are provided upon the heel plate, for holding the latter immovable relative to the blade, for permitting only quite limited movement of the heel plate, or for permitting a full movement of the latter cushioned in each direction by one of the two aforesaid springs.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a skate wherein the coacting guide and slide, which are arcuate, upon the heel plate and blade respectively, are mounted under the heel to provide as long a radius as possible from their 50 axis which lies substantially at the junction of the rear margin of the toe plate and the sole of the shoe thereon.

Having thus briefly and broadly stated some of the major objects and advantages of the invention I will now proceed ,to describe some embodiments thereof with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a longitudinal view of a skate with a shoe secured thereon, partly in section. 5

Figure 2 is an enlarged side view partly in section showing a heel plate and the cooperating parts.

Figures 3 and 4 are sections on the lines 3--3 and 4-4 respectively of Figure 2. 10

Figure 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the spring which is housed in the shoe sole.

Figure 6 is an enlarged view partly in section showing the heel plate raised some distance above the skate. 15

Figure 7 is an enlarged side View, partly in section, showing a modified form ofheel plate, and

Figure 8 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 9 shows a further modification, and

Figure 10 is a section on the line IIJI0 of 20 Figure 9.

Referring to Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings,

I designates a blade upon which a fixed toe plate 2 is mounted as by supports 3 and 4. Formed integral with the blade i and projecting up- 25 wardly therefrom is a slide 5 which is of arcuate' form, the center from which the arc is described extending transversely across the rear margin of the toe plate 2 at its junction with the sole 6 of a shoe I secured thereon.

Provided in the heel 8 of the shoe 1 is an opening 9 and a circular aperture l0. Mounted upon the, underside of the heel 8 is a heel plate ll having a depending arcuate guide [2 which extends down the front and both sides of the slide 5 which is movable therein in a substantially vertical path. The guide l2 also projects rearwardly of the slide 5 and its two sides are held in spaced relation as by a nut and bolt I 3 and 14. Formed in the heel plate ll is a downwardly directed pocket l5 which registers with the heel aperture in. The base and inner side of the pocket is also vertically slotted to permit vertical movement therein of a downwardly stepped rear portion 5a of the slide 5- Mounted in one side of the guide I2 is a pin l6 which engages a groove ll formed in one face of the slide 5; the said groove extends substantially the full length of the slide for the pin to slide therein and permits the guide and heel plate to liftas shown in Figure 6. Formed from the baseofthe slot or groove l! through the slide 5 is an opening 18 the purpose of which is explained hereafter.

, Mounted for lateral. movement upon the heel plate I l and housed in the heel opening 9 is a locking pin I9 downwardly from which a knob or finger hold 20 projects through a slot 2| formed through the said heel plate. The looking pin has grooves 22 formed across its upper face at right angles to its axis, and is supported in a resilient clip or bearing 23, secured to the heel plate H. The pin 59 is thus mounted for axial movement. Formed in this clip is a downward projection 25 to resiliently engage any one of the grooves 22 and hold the locking pin against accidental axial movement in any one of three transverse positions.

Referring to Figure 3, when the knob 20 is moved all the way to the right the pin I9 is clear of the groove I? and does not in any way interfere with the movement of the slide 5 in the guide l2. When the knob 29 is in its central position, shown in Figure 3, the pin I9 is in engagement with the groove ll thereby halting upward movement of the heel plate I i when the pin l9 strikes the top of the groove l'i. Thus a limited lift of the heel plate is permitted. When the knob 20 is moved to its left hand position the pin i9 extends into the opening !8. The latter is so located that when this occurs the guide [2 is in its bottom position and the lower front margin of the guide bears upon the top of the blade I. The heel plate is then of course locked against movement relative to the blade. When .the pin I9 is in its right hand position and entirely clear of the groove ll downward movement of the slide in the guide is halted by contact of the pin IS with the upper extremity of the said groove.

Tending to move the heel 8 and heel plate ll downward towards the blade I is a spring 26 which is housed within the sole 6 of the shoe 1. This spring alone is shown in Figure 5 so that its tendency to press the heel and heel plate in the direction indicated is readily apparent. Acting against the spring 2'6 is a stronger helical spring 28 mounted partly within the heel aperture l8 and partly in the pocket IS. The upper extremity of this helical spring bears against the inverted base of the aperture l and its lower extremity bears either upon the downwardly stepped rear portion a of the slide 5, or, when the heel plate is raised to a considerable extent above the blade as shown in Figure 6, against the base of the pocket l5. This spring 28 tends to force the blade downward from the heel plate during its initial movement and also cushions the heel plate as it reaches its downward limit of travel towards the blade.

From the foregoing it is apparent that by adjusting the locking pin [9 the heel plate H may be locked relative to the blade, permitting limited vertical movement thereover, or permitting considerable vertical travel. Moreover by throwing the Weight of the body largely on to the toe plate 2 the helical spring 28 more than counterbalances the spring 26 and assists the initial upward movement of the "heel plate H; the spring 28 also cushions the said heel plate as it reaches its bottom limit of travel.

In the modification shown in Figures 7 and 8 the construction is identical with that previously described except that a leaf spring 28a is substituted for the spring 28.i 'One extremity of this spring 28a is anchored in the heel la between layers of leather or other suitable material indicated at lb and lo. The free extremity of this spring 28a bears against the step 5a ofJthe slide 5 and tends to force it down to the position indicated at 5aa. In this instance the pocket l5 shown in Figures 1, 2 and 6 is dispensed with.

In the modification shown in Figures 9 and 10 the slide 5b is pivotally supported upon the blade I by a pin Eb. The purpose of this construction is to permit the slide to float somewhat in the guide and insure free movement of the former in the latter as they travel through their arcuate path.

While in the foregoing the preferred embodiments of the invention, which reside in a novel combination and arrangement of parts, have been described and shown, it is understood that the construction is susceptible to such further alterations and modifications as fall within the scope of theappended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a skate, the combination of a blade, a toe plate rigidly supported thereover, a slide extending upwardly from the blade, a heel plate, a guide projecting downwardly from the heel plate, said slide being adapted to travel along a substantially vertical path in said guide, and a selective means permitting either a partial or a full movement of the slide in the guide.

2. In a skate, the combination of a blade, a toe plate rigidly supported thereover, a slide extending upwardly from the blade, said slide being integral with the blade, a heel plate, a guide projecting downwardly from the heel plate, said slide being adapted to travel along a substantially vertical path in said guide, and a selective means permitting either a partial or a full movement of the slide in the guide.

3. In a skate, the combination of a blade, a toe plate rigidly supported thereover, a slide extending upwardly from the blade and pivotally supported by the latter, a heel plate, a guide projecting downwardly from the heel plate in which the slide is adapted to move along a substantially vertical path, and a selective means permitting either a partial or a full movement of the slide in the guide.

4. In a skate, the combination of a blade, a toe plate rigidly supported thereover, a slide extending upwardly from the blade, a heel plate, a guide extending downwardly from the heel plate in which the slide is movable along a substantially vertical path, and a selective means for permitting either a partial or a full movement of the slide in the guide or for locking the slide in the guide to maintain a constant spacing between the heel plate and the blade.

5. In a skate, the combination of a blade, a toe plate rigidly supported thereover, a slide extending upwardly from the blade, a heel plate, a guide extending downwardly from the heel plate in which said slide is movable along a substantially vertical path, one face of the slide being provided with a groove therein and an aperture extending from the base of the groove through the slide, a locking pin carried by the heel plate and mounted for transverse movement relative to the slide, said pin being adapted to engage said aperture and said groove, or said groove only, or to be moved clear of the latter.

6. A skate comprising a blade, a toe plate rigidly supported thereover, said toe plate having the sole of a shoe secured thereon, a slide projecting upwardly from the blade, a heel plate, a guide extending downwardly from the heel plate in which said slide is movable along a substantially vertical path, said slide being downwardly stepped, and a spring housed at least partly in said shoe heei adapted to bear upon the downwardlystepped portion of the slide to force the blade farther from the heel plate.

7. A skate comprising a blade, a toe plate rigidly supported thereover, said toe plate having the sole of a shoe secured thereon, a slide projecting upwardly from the blade, a heel plate, a guide extending downwardly from the heel plate in which said slide is movable along a substantially vertical path, said slide being downwardly stepped, a helical spring housed at least partly within an opening formed in the shoe heel and adapted to bear against the downwardly stepped portion of the slide, and a downwardly directed pocket formed in the heel plate to receive the lower portion of the helical spring.

8. A skate comprising a blade, a toe plate rigidly supported thereover, said toe plate having the sole of a shoe secured thereon, a slide projecting upwardly from the blade, a heel plate, a guide extending downwardly from the heel plate. in which said slide is movable along a substantially vertical path, said slide being downwardly stepped, and a leaf spring having one extremity mounted upon the shoe heel in an aperture formed therein, said spring being adapted to bear upon the downwardly stepped portion of the slide to force the blade farther below the heel plate.

9. In a skate, the combination set forth in claim 5, wherein a spring clip upon the heel plate supports the locking pin for axial movement, and coacting means on said clip and pin engage at three axial positions of the pin and holdthe latter against accidental movement in the clip.

10. In a skate, the combination of a blade, a toe plate rigidly mounted thereover to support the front portion of a shoe, a slide extending upwardly from the blade, a heel plate to receive the heel of the shoe, a guide projecting downwardly from the heel plate, said slide being adapted to travel along a substantially vertical path in said guide, resilient means interposed between the shoe heel and the slide tending to move the latter downwardly in the guide, and a selective means permitting either a partial or a full movement of the slide in the guide.

EDWARD KLEVSTAD. 

